Load-distributer.



F. H. SCHLEGELMILCH.

LOAD DISTRIBUTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-16.1915.

1,%28,974. Patented June 5, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET l- F. H. SCHLEGELMILCH.

LOAD DlSTRlBUTER. v APPLICATION FILED Aue.1s.1915.

1,28 ,974. Patented June 5, 1917.

UNITED srnrns rnrnnr ornion.

FREDERICK H. SCHLEGELMILCH, 0E ASHTAIBULA HARBOR, OHIO.

LoAD-nIsrnIBu'r n.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 5, 1917.

Application filed August 16, 1915. Serial No. 45,631.

a simple, efficient, adjustable distributing mechanism for use in discharging bulk material. I

The distributing mechanism comprises a substantially vertical chute having means at its lower end for forcibly throwing the bulk material laterally from the lower end of the upright portion. My invention is particularly well adapted for loading coal, ore, or like material, into the holds of vessels, being so arranged that it may project the material laterally a considerable distance away from beneath the hatch opening through which the chute depends. My device constitutes an eflective load trimmer, and may distribute material throughout compartments of the holds of vessels, and by this forcible throwing is adapted to direct material to the remote corners of such compartments, thereby eliminating manual handling, usually necessary in stowing away the material and trimthe load.

drawings and its essential characteristics are summarized in the claims. v

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section through a vessel, showing the distributing mechanism in position discharging material into the hold of the vessel; Fig. 2 isa longitudinal view of the vessel, partly in section, showing the load distributor proper in another position; Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of my load distributer; Fig. 4 is an elevation of the same, looking toward the side at the left in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the broken line 55- of Referring to the drawings by reference numerals, in Figs. 1 and 2, 10 represents the storage bins, not shown.

invention is hereinafter more fully descrlbed 1n connectlon wlth the accompany ng hold of a vessel, 11 the upper'deck thereof, and Y12 a lower deck (several being frequently provided), dividing the hold into compartments. 13 and 13 indicate vertically alined hatches through these decks. These hatches are frequently widely separated, and, particularly in ocean going vessels, they are usually but small openings located in the middle portion of the deck. 14 indicates the usual spout or apron leading from suitable usually adapted to be moved vertically as well as longitudinally of the vessel. Depending from this spout is a vertical chute 15, which may be supported by the spout, as shown, and which may be adapted to telescope if desired. Rotatably carried at the lower end of the chute 15 is the load distributer proper 16, which extends laterally therefrom and is adapted to throw material laterally in any direction from the lower. portion of the chute 15. 1

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the chute 15 is shown as cylindri- 'cal and carrying at its lower end a ring 20,

forming an extension of the chute and havlower edge. A ring 22 having a recess embracing and overhanging the flange 21 is rotatably carried thereby and acts as a support for a plate 24, having downwardly turned flanges 25 supporting the casing or frame of the distributor proper. On the upper side of the ring 22 is mounted a gear 26 aving anoutwardly turned flange provided with openings for bolts 27, which pass through the ring 22 and the plate 24, thereby securing these parts in position. (This construction is merely illustrative of any con-, venient method of rotatably carrying the" load distributor at the lower end of the chute 15.) The gear 26 is adapted to mesh with a pinion 28 on the shaft of an-electric motor 29, shown as rigidly carried in a casing 30, secured to the lower end of the chute 15.

The plate 24 preferably has a substan tially rectangular perimeter and a circular opening registering with the lower end of the extension 20, whereby pass freely through the plate and to the dis-' Such spouts are I ing an outwardly turned flange 21 at its "100 the material may,

' erally and supported at transverse angle bar 49.

' tributer supported thereb Two side walls 35 and 36 are secured to the depending flanges 25 by suitable rivets or other means, and between these two side walls is a curved deflector extending downwardly and latits lower end, when in the position shown in dotted lines, by a short vertical wall 42, having its lowerf'edge abutting a short floor 43 provided between the side walls at the lower edges near their rear sides. The deflector 40 is provided with a pair of upwardly extending sectors 39 car-. 38, whereby the deflector ried by trunnions plate is adapted to be swung about these trunnions as an axis to assume either of two positions. A lever 37 rigidly secured to one of the trunnions is provided with a suitable catch adapted to engage notches in an arcuate member 41 secured to one of the side walls. The deflector may be thereby latched in either of thetwo positions indicated at 40 and 40 and when in the position 40 the lower side of the deflector is supported on a Mounted in suitable bearings carried by the side walls 35 and 36, are two transverse shafts 44 and 45, each carrying a drum 46 between the side walls, over which may run a suitable belt 47, shown as provided with transverse raised ribs 48.

The belt 47 is adapted to receive the material from the deflector 40 and it may be driven at such speeds that it will project material varying distances, for example, as great as fifty feet or more, away from the belt. As a suitable means for driving the belt 47, I provide on one end of the shaft a sprocket 51 driven by a second'smaller sprocket wheel 52, on a shaft 53 of a suitable electric motor 54. On the other end of the shaft of the motor 53 I prefer to provide a sprocket wheel 60, over which runs a. sprocket chain 61 adapted to drive a second sprocket wheel 62, on the other end of the shaft 45. These two sprockets and 62 are preferably sub- I stantially the same'size so that the drums carrying the belt 47 may be driven at a speed equal to that of the motor, thereby causing material to tances from the belt, while the sprocket 50, being considerably larger than the sprocket 52, provides for driving the belt at a slower speed with relation to the motor. 55

Between the walls 35 and 36, on the shaft of the motor, are provided clutches 64 and 65 each having a movable member rotatable with the motor shaft and adapted to be shifted longitudinally thereof by means of arms 66 and 67 having their ends engaging grooves in such movable member and carried on a longitudinally shiftable rod 68 adapted to be operated by a suitable hand lever 69. It will be seen that by operating this lever wheel 50, which receives a chain.

be thrown greatdis- 7 Acting through difference in the size of these sprocket wheels, taken with the various speeds at which the motor may be driven, provides for accurately regulating the distance from the distributer to which the material may be thrown. It will be seen that the motor is entirely protected by the deflector 40, the floor 43, the short supporting wall 42, and the side walls. I

I .prefer to provide an adjustment for moving one of the shafts for the conveyer belt toward tighten and loosen the belt 47. As a suitable means for accomplishing this I have shown the bearing blocks 56 for the shaft 44 as and away from the other to' slidably carried in rectangular frames 57 deflected laterally by the curved plate 40 and comes onto the conveyer belt 47. The material is moved forwardly along the upper reach of this belt at such a rapid rate that it is thrown from the end of the same for many feet, and I have found in practice that if the belt is driven at the more rapid speeds the coal or ore may be projected in a large, substantially solid stream to points as great as fifty feet from the end of the belt with only a few feet drop. Referring to Figs. 1

and 2, the stream of material thus pro ected is indicated in broken lines at A, and the surface of the load as it stands in the hold is indicated by broken lines B. If it is desired to direct the material upwardly slightly as it leaves the belt, to reach the upper corners of the compartments, for example, the bearing of the shaft 44 may be adjusted, as described, toward the shaft 45, thereby loosening the belt and allowing the material to sag the upper reach thereof, to cause the material to be raised as it goes forwardly over the drum on the shaft 44. This feature is also useful when it is desired to increase the distance to which the material may ling belt 47 may be varied by varying the current to the motor 43, as well as by operating the clutches 64 and 65 through the rod 68 and lever 69, changing the speed by reason of the different ratios of the sprocket wheels, thus thrown into or out of gear. To effect the discharge'in another direction with relation to the chute, the motor 28, which may rotate in either direction, is started. its shaft, the pinion 28 and gear 26, this motor serves to rotate the load distributer frame with relation to the chute,

be projected. The speed of this impelthereby bringing: the distributor to the de' .s1red position with relation to the hold of various compartments of the hold of a vessel,

even when divided by one ormore intermediate decks, may be entirely filled to the most remote corners, and the load evenly trimmed by projecting the material to the desired points with my distributer. My invention may beused with many existing forms of ore and coal loading devices without interfering with the usual operationthereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The combination of a chute, a swiveled support positioned at the end of the chute, a laterally extending conveyer carried by said support, and a movable deflector adapted to direct the material from the chute onto the conveyer or away from the conveyer.

2. The combination of a chute, a support rotatably mounted at the lower end of the chute, means for rotating said support, an impelling belt carried by the support and adapted to receive material discharged from the chute, said belt extending laterally from the discharge end of the chute,,means for driving the impelling belt, and a shiftable deflector adapted to direct material onto the belt or laterally away from the same.

3. The combination of a chute, a support rotatably mounted at the lower end of the chute and having, a pair of vertical side plates spaced apart, a conveyer belt mounted on drums between the side walls and extending laterally, a motor carried by the support for operating the belt, and a movable deflector above the motor between the side walls adapted to direct material from the chute onto the beltor away from the belt according to the position of the deflector.

4. The combination of a chute, a support rotatably connected to the lower end thereof, a conveyer belt carried by said support, and a deflector within the support adapted to direct material either onto the belt or in the opposite direction to the outside of the support, said deflector being upwardly concaved and movable about an axis above it.

5. The combination, with an upright tubular chute, of a frame carried by. the lower 7 end thereof and having a pair of side walls adapted to guide material, a deflector beneath the chute movably carried by said side walls, means for securing the deflector in' either of two positions in which it may direct the material in opposite directions from the, lower end of the chute, a conveyer belt between said side walls and adapted to receive material from the deflector when in one position, and means for driving said conveyer belt to cause it to impel materiallaterally .away from the lower end of the chute.

6. The combination of a chute, a support Q at the lower end thereof having parallel side walls spaced apart, a conveyer belt be tween the side walls, and a deflector between the side walls, said deflector substantially extending across the space between the side walls and having supporting portions adjacent to the inner faces of the side walls, means for pivoting the supporting portion to the side walls, and means for moving the deflector about such pivot.

7. The combination of a chute, a support rotatably mounted at the lower end of the chute, said support having a pair of spaced side walls, a conveyer belt between said side walls, a motor in the lower part of the support between the side walls and connected with the conveyer belt, a deflector between the upper part of the side walls above the motor, said deflector comprising a platelike member extending substantially across the support concaved-outwardly and hanging from a pivot above it, and means for swinging the deflectoron such pivot.

8. The combination of a chute, a swivel support carried by the lower end thereof, a motor, and means operated by the motor for rotating the support, a pivoted deflector adapted to cause the discharge of material in opposite directions with relation to the support, a lever for swinging the. deflector about its pivot, means for securlng the deflector in either of its positions, and an impelling .belt adapted to receive material when the deflector is in one of its positions.

9. The combination with an uprightposition.

v 10. The combination of a chute, a swiveled' support positioned at the lower end of the chute, an impelling belt carried by the support and adapted to receive material deflector and protected thereby when the from the chute and move the same laterally deflector is in either position, and means therefrom, a deflector at the discharge end connecting the motor with the belt for drivof the chute movably carried-on the suping the same.

5 port, means for moving the deflector to In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my either of two positions to direct material in signature. 1 opposite directions, a motor beneath said FREDERICK H. SGHLEGELMILGH. 

